For the first time since its launch in 2009, ads are coming to WhatsApp. Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, announced today that it is rolling out ads to the app’s 2 billion users globally. Initially, they will appear in the “Updates” section of the app — where users post statuses or subscribe to channels around specific topics. Meta says it is doing this because ads should not interrupt “private conversations,” according to the company. Ads will be rolled out to a small group of users and then expanded over time.

Meta claims that 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab every day. That’s a huge user base for advertisers. However, if you only use WhatsApp for chats, you probably won’t see an ad. But for users who spend a lot of time in the Updates section, things might look a bit different.

There are three types of ads being added to the platform. First, ads in the Status section. As users scroll through photo, video, and text statuses from friends that disappear after 24 hours, they may see a new type of status update — from a brand. The ads look and act like regular statuses, but instead, they come from a business. Users can even start a conversation with the company directly.

Second, WhatsApp is introducing Promoted Channels. This allows channel admins to pay to get more exposure for their content, and it can reach more users. This could be a way for businesses and creators to grow their following directly in WhatsApp — something that has never been possible before.

Third, Meta is testing out a subscription model for Channels. Businesses can charge users a monthly fee for exclusive content. For example, a user might pay to subscribe to a cooking channel that sends subscriber-only recipes and updates. It’s a new source of revenue for WhatsApp and a new way for brands and creators to monetize on the platform.

So what about privacy? That’s what users will likely be wondering, as WhatsApp has long stood on the pillars of privacy and security. Meta says it is taking a “cautious” approach. It will use general information, such as your country code, device language, age, and city to target ads, rather than your precise location or private data. Additionally, WhatsApp will use how you engage with channels and Status updates to shape the ads you see. For example, what topics you subscribe to, how you interact with posts, and which ads you click on.

However, it’s important to note that all your private messages will still be end-to-end encrypted. Meta says it will not read your messages and will not use them to serve ads. And for those who use other Meta products like Instagram or Facebook, there’s an option called Accounts Center. If you connect your WhatsApp to this, Meta can use data from other platforms to personalize your ad experience. This is turned off by default and can be turned off at any time.

WhatsApp will also give users controls over their ad experience. Users can see why a particular ad was shown, block certain advertisers, or report an ad that feels inappropriate. The company is clearly trying to make the whole experience as friendly — and as optional — as possible.

Ultimately, this is about Meta’s broader strategy. WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users worldwide. Still, it has contributed little to Meta’s massive advertising machine. Most of WhatsApp’s current revenue comes from its Business Platform, a paid subscription that allows businesses to talk to customers, and from “click-to-WhatsApp” ads on Facebook and Instagram. But that’s changing. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that WhatsApp’s Business Platform is already becoming a significant revenue source. Now, with ads inside WhatsApp, Meta wants to go further.

“Adding ads to Status and Channel, to me, it felt like the next natural evolution,” Alice Newton Rex, WhatsApp’s vice president of product, told TechCrunch. Businesses have asked to be able to reach users directly within the app, and Meta is doing this with the new ad system. Other social platforms, like Reddit and Discord, are also dipping their toes into new ad models, and it’s clear where this is headed. Social apps, even those that have traditionally been privacy-first, are looking for ways to add ads that don’t alienate users.

Meta paid $16 billion for WhatsApp in 2014. The app remained unscathed by Meta’s ad machine for years. But the advertising business has become more important than ever before for Meta — about 98 percent of its revenue comes from ads. So WhatsApp was always going to be next. This is just the beginning of a new era for the platform.

For most users, the change will go unnoticed — especially if they don’t use the Updates tab. But for WhatsApp and Meta, it’s a big deal. One that shows both the pressure of economic conditions and the demand for growth from investors.

Ads on WhatsApp aren’t a hypothetical anymore — they’re real and they’re here. The experience has been mostly untouched for now. But with Meta at the wheel, this is just the beginning of WhatsApp’s transformation into a fully fledged commercial platform.